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Turkey hatching plan to clear Syrian beggars off Istanbul streets — note how fellow Muslims have no interest in the plight of these Syrians

A Syrian man begs for money with a child at Istiklal Avenue on Jan. 22 in Istanbul. Agence France-Presse/Getty Images

Authorities in Istanbul are working on plans to clear the streets of Syrian beggars and house them in camps like those on the border, as Turkey struggles with an influx of over a million refugees and the hospitality of locals starts to wear thin.

Beggars have become increasingly visible in Istanbul, many of them Syrians displaced by their country’s three-year war, including women and young children, passports in outstretched hands, tapping on car windows in the city’s dense traffic.

They represent a tiny fraction of the Syrians sheltering in Turkey, some housed in well-equipped camps along the border, others living with friends or family or in modest rented accommodation in cities in the southeast, Ankara or Istanbul.

But what feels like a growing number are living in derelict buildings or sleeping in parks, eking out a living by begging – illegal in Istanbul – and raising the concern of locals and other Syrians trying to integrate seamlessly into Turkish life…

A Syrian refugee girl runs after receiving a pack of food at an iftar event during Ramadan in Istanbul. REUTERS Photos / Yağız Karahan

Related: Syrian refugee children strive to get free food during iftar dinners in central Istanbul: The fast-breaking (iftar) dinners provided by Istanbul’s central Beyoğlu Municipality have become a rare opportunity for Syrian refugees to receive free and substantial meals.

The public iftars will be held every day until the end of Ramadan, in a space next to Taksim Square and Gezi Park – the epicenter of last-year’s nationwide demonstrations. The area has since become a haven for dozens of Syrian families – mostly mothers with babies and children – who beg for survival…

* * *I find it more than a little bit strange that the Muslims raging worldwide over Gaza do not seem the slightest bit concerned about Syria. It seems like crystal clear proof that these raging Muslims do not care about the people of Gaza themselves, but they just hate Jews and Israel.